Are you on the hunt for ways to make your home more energy-efficient this summer? One of the best places to start is with our 26-point home energy audit. A common post-audit recommendation our team often has for the homeowners we work with is to look into installing a smart thermostat. While not as impactful as upgrading an older air conditioner or having our team add insulation, these new thermostats can help Fresno homeowners save money and boost their indoor comfort.
In this article, we’ll review what smart thermostats are, the benefits of switching, and why you should contact Allbritten for professional thermostat installation here in Fresno.
What are smart thermostats?
Smart thermostats do more than just manually control the temperature of your home. At a baseline, all of the devices of this type on the market allow homeowners to schedule the comfort level of their home ahead of time, accounting for when they’re regularly away (such as an 8-hour workday) or on vacation. However, many have even more advanced features, which we’ll get into in the sections below.
With an older, manual-entry thermostat, you’d have to remember to turn the air conditioning off when you left the house and back on when you arrived back home. As it turns out, people with busy lives are not very good at remembering to do minor, repetitive tasks. A lot of household energy waste occurs when a homeowner with a standard thermostat forgets to raise the temperature setting when leaving the house. The AC unit works hard to cool an empty home, resulting in both wasted electricity and more overall wear-and-tear on the unit.
A smart thermostat removes this responsibility from your brain and automates it. Over time, this will save you money.
Why upgrade to a smart thermostat?
There are many reasons to upgrade to a smart thermostat. Here are just a few of the primary benefits of doing so:
Energy savings
A smart thermostat can save you hundreds on your cooling and heating bills over the lifespan of the thermostat. That may not seem like a lot of money, but considering the relatively low installation price (more on this below) and the added convenience and comfort factors, it means that this investment will eventually pay for itself through your reduced energy bills. If you want to cut your summer electric bills here in Fresno, we recommend taking a look into what smart thermostats can do for your home.
The very best smart thermostats have learning technology that allows them to analyze your energy use and then find ways to make your home’s cooling and heating even more efficient.
Convenience
Many smart thermostats are internet-connected devices with corresponding apps and software. This means that you can control the temperature of your home from anywhere. Forget to turn off the AC while you’re away on vacation this summer? You can adjust the temperature setting from your smartphone. Many of these thermostats can be linked to voice-activated devices, which means you can adjust your thermostat while cooking dinner or spending time with your family in another room.
Comfort
This type of thermostat can be set to cool down your home 30 minutes before you arrive, ensuring that you don’t open your front door to a blast furnace of hot, stuffy air. You can customize your thermostat’s schedule to your exact comfort needs. Like to sleep in the cold? Set your thermostat to start cooling down your home a bit more at 9 p.m., but then turn it off at midnight once you’re asleep. The potential to build your thermostat’s schedule around your life is endless.
Cost
A smart thermostat is one of the less expensive energy-efficiency upgrades you can make in your home. For example, if Pacific Gas & Electric is your utility company here in Fresno, you should check out their smart thermostat rebate program. By joining their energy incentive program, they will give you up to $100 back on your purchase. Considering that many of these thermostats retail at $150-$300, this rebate could cover a significant portion of the purchase.
Call Allbritten for professional installation
Not all thermostats—smart or standard—are compatible with all HVAC systems or pre-existing thermostat wiring. The team at Allbritten can provide you with more information about what thermostats will work in your home. We provide professional installation if you’d like us to expertly install your new thermostat for you and ensure that it’s working in sync with your air conditioner and furnace.
To schedule service here in Fresno and the Central Valley, contact us today!
